Google Assistant will soon be able to make phone calls

Technology has really stepped up its game in the last ten years; especially when it comes to aiding the disabled community. Even more so now as it is announced the Google Assistant will soon be able to make phone calls on your behalf.

EASE OF SERVICE

Booking a doctor’s appointment to a booking in a restaurant or at the hairdressers, the Google Assistant will soon be able to do this for you. Added bonus, it will not sound like an artificial voice.

During the recent I/O 2018 conference, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, revealed the brand-new feature. Playing a recording of the assistant booking an appointment, the natural tone of voice was transparent in the demo and showcased the ease of the service.

Pichai explained: “The amazing thing is that Assistant can actually understand the nuances of conversation. We’ve been working on this technology for many years. It’s called Google Duplex.”

BENEFITS

This addition will be extremely beneficial for people with a disability who may not be able to make their own phone calls. Google is taking a giant leap forward in accessibility providing a sense of independence for those looking to make and cancel their own appointments. It might seem a simple task but it will allow many people to gain confidence.

More testing still needs to be done on Duplex within Assistant but this is set to go ahead in summer. Google hopes that the technology will be a go-to hand providing a natural voice when making phone calls, alongside complete control and transparency of calls being logged.

“The technology is directed towards completing specific tasks, such as scheduling certain types of appointments. For such tasks, the system makes the conversational experience as natural as possible, allowing people to speak normally, like they would to another person, without having to adapt to a machine,” adds Pichai.